Jayden N Greenwell-Barnden, Troy A W Visser, Shayne Loft, Susannah J Whitney, Vanessa K Bowden
{"title":"How Multi-Tasking Ability Impacts Performance, Workload, Situation Awareness, Stress and Trust with Simulated Imperfect Automation.","authors":"Jayden N Greenwell-Barnden, Troy A W Visser, Shayne Loft, Susannah J Whitney, Vanessa K Bowden","doi":"10.1177/00187208261431968","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>ObjectiveThis study investigated whether individual differences in multi-tasking ability (MTa) modulate the benefit and cost of supervising imperfect automation on performance, workload, situation awareness, stress, and trust in simulated air traffic control (ATC).BackgroundAutomation is rarely perfectly reliable, and automation failures can have significant detrimental effects. Prior work established that MTa can modulate the benefit of perfectly reliable automation. However, it is unknown whether MTa influences the cost of supervising imperfect automation.MethodsMTa was indexed using a latent factor from three cognitive tasks completed by 113 undergraduate students. Participants completed two ATC blocks: one without automation (manual) and one with automated assistance for accepting incoming aircraft, handing-off outgoing aircraft, and conflict detection (violations of minimum separation). Conflict detection automation was perfectly reliable. Automation highlighting aircraft needing acceptance and hand-off was imperfect, missing 30% of events (the \"unreliable\" trials).ResultsLower-MTa participants obtained greater performance benefits to aircraft hand-off from reliable-automation but suffered greater costs from unreliable automation compared to manual hand-off, relative to higher-MTa participants. Situation awareness was improved by automation provision, and workload reduced, although MTa did not vary these effects. Stress reduction with automation, compared to manual, was greater for lower-MTa compared to higher-MTa participants. Higher-MTa participants calibrated trust across the different reliability of ATC tasks more effectively.ConclusionMTa can lead to differentiated effects of imperfect automation on aircraft hand-off, perceived stress and trust.ApplicationMTa may warrant consideration in personnel hiring and role selection for work contexts where automation reliability is volatile.</p>","PeriodicalId":56333,"journal":{"name":"Human Factors","volume":" ","pages":"1056-1077"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13260769/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Human Factors","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208261431968","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/3/10 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
ObjectiveThis study investigated whether individual differences in multi-tasking ability (MTa) modulate the benefit and cost of supervising imperfect automation on performance, workload, situation awareness, stress, and trust in simulated air traffic control (ATC).BackgroundAutomation is rarely perfectly reliable, and automation failures can have significant detrimental effects. Prior work established that MTa can modulate the benefit of perfectly reliable automation. However, it is unknown whether MTa influences the cost of supervising imperfect automation.MethodsMTa was indexed using a latent factor from three cognitive tasks completed by 113 undergraduate students. Participants completed two ATC blocks: one without automation (manual) and one with automated assistance for accepting incoming aircraft, handing-off outgoing aircraft, and conflict detection (violations of minimum separation). Conflict detection automation was perfectly reliable. Automation highlighting aircraft needing acceptance and hand-off was imperfect, missing 30% of events (the "unreliable" trials).ResultsLower-MTa participants obtained greater performance benefits to aircraft hand-off from reliable-automation but suffered greater costs from unreliable automation compared to manual hand-off, relative to higher-MTa participants. Situation awareness was improved by automation provision, and workload reduced, although MTa did not vary these effects. Stress reduction with automation, compared to manual, was greater for lower-MTa compared to higher-MTa participants. Higher-MTa participants calibrated trust across the different reliability of ATC tasks more effectively.ConclusionMTa can lead to differentiated effects of imperfect automation on aircraft hand-off, perceived stress and trust.ApplicationMTa may warrant consideration in personnel hiring and role selection for work contexts where automation reliability is volatile.
期刊介绍：
Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society publishes peer-reviewed scientific studies in human factors/ergonomics that present theoretical and practical advances concerning the relationship between people and technologies, tools, environments, and systems. Papers published in Human Factors leverage fundamental knowledge of human capabilities and limitations – and the basic understanding of cognitive, physical, behavioral, physiological, social, developmental, affective, and motivational aspects of human performance – to yield design principles; enhance training, selection, and communication; and ultimately improve human-system interfaces and sociotechnical systems that lead to safer and more effective outcomes.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
